Strange Birds
by Sapphira Volkov
Summary: Max lives in New Jersey with her family. Angel, Nudge, and The Gasman live in separate houses, having escaped the School on their own. Fang and Iggy have been separated from them when they escaped, and Max is trying to cope with High School and hiding their "feathery issues" from the normal people. Will the flock find its missing pieces? And can they survive when Erasers find them?
1. Chapter 1

**So... First Maximum Ride Fanfic. I think I have a good idea of how this is going to turn out. Enjoy!**

Hey, random person. My name is Max. Yeah, I'm a girl. Think of it like Alex. It's still a girl's name. Anyways, today's the orientation for high school. Sigh. Life sucks on days like this. Not to mention, after an entire day of get to know our school crap, I have to go meet the new family moving in across what is considered a street in suburban New Jersey. Whoopee. Ella, my little sister, says I have to loosen up. Well, she's the sweetest thing anyways. She also doesn't have school for another two days. Well, lucky her. I pull on a random pair of jeans, a white t-shirt with red designs of hawks, and a leather jacket with slits on the back. I'll explain that later. So... school. Before anything, I run downstairs and have a hearty breakfast of toast, bacon, eggs, pretty much whatever people have for breakfast. My mom smiles at me and tucks a few chocolate chip cookies into a plastic Ziplock baggie. They're still warm. Mmm... My favorite. I glance at the clock, and, lo and behold, it's time to go.

"Shit! I'm late!" Mom admonishes me silently for the language, and I drop her a little peck on the cheek. "Love you! Let the hawks out soon or they'll freak!" Yeah, we have hawks. Think of them as a higher class messenger pigeon thing. Not that they'd appreciate it, but what the hell, you know? Anyways, I run outside to my backyard, take a running leap, and unfurl my wings, flapping them so hard I shoot fifty feet in the air.

Yeah, wings. Must I repeat everything I say? Anyways, I fly over to the school, which is about five blocks away, give or take. I smile as I touch down in the woods next to the school. On a normal day, I would see Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel landing next to me, having just flown to school together. They had all been there when... well, I'll get to that late, when I'm not so stressed. Anywho, today I'm alone, so I walk into school by myself, and make my way to the auditorium independently. I take my seat individually, and wait for my friends, because the Thesaurus just ran out of words. Angela comes over first, her face a mask of horror.

"Max. Did I not tell you that today is a makeup occasion?"

"Um..." In truth, Angela has two lists: Days Max Must Wear Makeup, and Days That Max Can Get Away With Not Wearing Makeup. There seem to be more of the former than the latter, funnily enough. Angela was tall and thin, with killer curves and clothes so tight, you could barely tell where they end if it weren't for the color shift. She quickly slathered my face with gunk and smiled.

"Perfect. Now, come on. We're gonna be late." I followed her obediently to the auditorium, absently wondering how much trouble I would get into if her makeup bag would "disappear".

We made it through orientation relatively easily. Angela was pulling me toward the doors when I saw it: a flash of black hair, directly next to strawberry blond. I broke into a run, heart pounding, as my mind flashed back to the two people I knew _couldn't_ still be alive. But by the time I made it to the front, no one was there. I put a hand over my racing heart and bit my lip. I didn't know if I was hallucinating, but I promised myself it wouldn't happen again. I had a flock to take care of. I couldn't allow myself to be chasing after fantasies. A little Voice in my head, that annoying one with the familiar, yet unrecognizable tone, whispers, _What if it wasn't a fantasy?_ I ignored it. Even if it's right, I had no time to figure that out.

**So... Love it? Hate it? Is it just ****_eh_****? Review, please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So... Another chapter. I'd like to thank the academy!**

**But seriously, I'm really grateful to those six or seven people who followed this story. I apologize for neglecting my Mortal Instruments fanfics, but I've got a tight schedule here, and no one's reviewing. Have fun!**

The funny** thing about facing imminent death is that it really snaps everything else into perspective.**

I grabbed Angel and reached for Gazzer's hand. I could hear Fang and Iggy yelling behind us as we ran.

"Go! We'll hold them off! Fly, and don't look back!" Nudge spread her wings and vaulted into the air, and I tossed Angel to her. She caught her easily, and I leaped into the air, spreading my own wings. The Gasman looked terrified, and turned around to see Fang's cold, determined face as he slew the Erasers, Iggy's flying fists. What he lacked in sight, he definitely made up for in strength. My eyes teared up as I met Fang's eyes for the last time. I couldn't hear him over the snarling of the Erasers, but I could read his lips as he shouted to me.

"Go! Leave us!" My mind flashed to when we promised each other that we would never leave anyone behind. Then my gaze fell on baby Angel, with her little chicken wings and wide-eyed, fearful expression, and my jaw set. She was barely two, and she'd gone through torture most people couldn't even dream about. I signaled Nudge, and we flew away, just as Iggy screamed.

I sat bolt upright in my bed, heart pounding, tears streaming down my cheeks. That dream again. I laid back and covered my face with my hands. It only came when I was thinking about them more than usual. I had to get a grip on myself. the door creaked open, and Ella padded into my room in her pajamas and bare feet.

"I heard you scream." I sighed. "That dream again?" I shrugged.

"It's okay. I woke up before I saw..." The dream generally ended when I looked back, and saw Fang, propping Iggy up with one hand, fighting Erasers with the other, until he was overwhelmed. Ella smiled sadly.

"Don't worry, Max. It's going to be okay." I smiled back, trying to make it seem like an actual smile, and she climbed in next to me. As we fell asleep, I decided to finally try to forget that little hole in my heart where Fang and Iggy once had been. And maybe, one day, it would go away.

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